| Grace Presbyterian Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | 8607 State Route 91 Peoria, IL 61615 |
| Country | USA |
| Denomination | Presbyterian |
| Membership | 2200 |
| Website | https://www.gracepres.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Presbytery of Northern Illinois |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Zach Rogers |
Grace Presbyterian Church is a Protestant congregation located in Peoria, Illinois. The church's 1,700 members are currently affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America. [1]
Initially called the Fourth Ward Mission School, Grace Presbyterian was founded in 1862 as a Sunday School for area youth. It was associated with the Old School Presbyterian Church, [2] which identified with Calvinist Orthodoxy and emphasized education over revivalism. The school was sponsored by the former First Presbyterian Church of Peoria as part of its "sabbath school" movement. [3] [4] [5]
D.W. McWilliams, the first superintendent, was a prominent railroad man who had relocated from New York to Peoria. He was able to secure a passenger rail coach to use as a meeting place. [6] The school started with 19 children.
In 1868, the group was able to organize as a church, which was a goal of the school's founding. [7] [8] Originally just called Grace Church, it was renamed Grace Presbyterian Church in 1883. [9]
The Church's first permanent location, at Wayne Street and Madison Avenue, was a wooden structure built in 1873. It was destroyed by fire in 1890 and replaced by a brick structure at the same location. [10]
The church faced great financial difficulty during the Great Depression. As resources dwindled, the question of closing was put to the congregation - but members voted to carry on. [11]
In 1957, the church moved to the corner of Knoxville Ave. and Forrest Hill Ave. [12] In 1973 a larger sanctuary was added.
The church experienced large and sustained growth throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The church attracted several from other Protestant congregations, sometimes due to concerns regarding the World Council of Churches. [13] It was during this time that Grace's Sunday sermon was carried on over 150 broadcast stations across the United States, Canada, Latin America and Africa. [14] [15]
In 1981, the church voted unanimously to disaffiliate with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. A congenial departure agreement allowed Grace Presbyterian to leave the denominational alliance without sacrificing property ownership rights. In 1982, after exploring several options, the church Session voted to join the Presbyterian Church in America. [16]
Education and Sunday School continue to be an important focus of the church, which moved to its current 60 acre campus in 2010.
According to the executive director the previous church structure was out-dated and ill-suited for the church's growing slate of programs. [17] Additionally, parking and safety had become a concern. [6] Congregants who parked in an overflow lot were forced to cross a busy intersection in order to worship.
In 2010, the church built a new 110,000 square foot facility containing worship space, classrooms, recreational and administrative areas. [6] Based on five years of planning and discussion, the auditorium style worship center features theater seating and studio quality lighting.
Once known for its conservative and orderly mode of Protestant worship, the congregation retained some traditional elements from the former building. The DeCou organ and the chapel stained glass, for example, were transferred from the previous building. [18] However, the DeCou organ has been removed and replaced by a 4 Manual Allen electronic organ. The Church has two organists currently: Kristin Stewart and Student Organist Josh Blanchard
The 1,352-seat sanctuary is situated within a 60-acre campus on Peoria's far northwest side. [19] Peoria's NBC/ABC affiliate (WEEK TV-25) continues to broadcast Sunday morning worship as they have since 1974. [6]
| Rev. Zach Rogers | 2023 | Present |
| Dr. Bryan Chapell | 2013 | 2020 |
| Dr. Ben Johnston | 2000 | 2012 |
| Rev. John Queen | 1992 | 2000 |
| Dr. Bruce W. Dunn | 1951 | 1991 |
| Dr. Oscar Raymond Lowry | 1942 | 1951 |
| Rev. Albert Lindsey, Jr. | 1933 | 1942 |
| Rev. James M. Burdge | 1927 | 1932 |
| Rev. Jones Earl Corwin | 1922 | 1927 |
| Rev. W. M. Clarke | 1919 | 1922 |
| Rev. W. M. Elliott | 1911 | 1918 |
| Rev. J. Alvan Sankey | 1903 | 1910 |
| Rev. W. S. P. Cockran, D. D. | 1896 | 1903 |
| Rev. Edgar L. Williams | 1892 | 1895 |
| Rev. J. K. Black | 1889 | 1891 |
| Rev. A. F. Irwin, D. D. | 1881 | 1889 |
| Rev. H. S. Beavis | 1876 | 1880 |
| Rev. W. W. Faris | 1874 | 1876 |
| Temporary Supplies | 1868 | 1874 |
Grace Presbyterian adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith, subordinate to the Bible. The church emphasizes the following doctrines: [20]
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives from a similar practice in the Jewish synagogue, where some version of the Kaddish serves to terminate each section of the service.
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presbyterian in government.
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), who objected to the rise of Liberal and Modernist theology in the 1930s. The OPC is considered to have had an influence on evangelicalism far beyond its size.
Making the sign of the cross, or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or Greek cross across the body with the right hand, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the Trinitarian formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC) is a theologically conservative denomination in North America.The ARPC was formed by the merger of the Associate Presbytery (seceder) with the Reformed Presbytery (covenanter) in 1782. It is one of the oldest conservative denominations in the United States.
Grace Toronto Church is a Presbyterian Church in America congregation worshipping in the historic Old St. Andrew's Church building at 383 Jarvis Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Protestant Reformed Churches in America is a Protestant denomination of 33 churches and over 8,000 members.
The Netherlands Reformed Congregations is a conservative Calvinist denomination with congregations in Canada, the United States and Bolivia. It is affiliated with the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands.
Jennings Ligon Duncan III is an American Presbyterian scholar and pastor. He is Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary.
The North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) is an association of several Presbyterian and Reformed churches in the United States and Canada. The Council meets annually.
Bryan Chapell is an American pastor and theologian who currently serves as the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was previously the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to that he was president and chancellor of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri for twenty years. Chapell is also an author, lecturer, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics. He served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America in 2014.
Presbyterian worship documents worship practices in Presbyterian churches; in this case, the practices of the many churches descended from the Scottish Presbyterian church at the time of the Reformation.
The National Presbyterian Church is a Christian congregation of approximately 1,500 members of all ages from the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. The mission statement of the church is "Leading People to Become Faithful Followers of Jesus Christ Together in God's World"
First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) located in the Midtown section of Atlanta, Georgia. First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1848, and it was Atlanta's first Presbyterian house of worship. The original church building on Marietta Street was vacated in April 1916 and the property was sold to the U.S. government for the construction of the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The current church building on Peachtree Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines is a Christian denomination in the Philippines. Established in its present form in Malate, Manila, it resulted from the merger of the Evangelical Church of the Philippines, the Philippine Methodist Church, the Disciples of Christ, the United Evangelical Church and several independent congregations.
Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCPC) is a Presbyterian Church in America megachurch in Dallas, Texas with about 5,500 members.
Highland Park Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church in University Park, Texas, with a Dallas post office address. In 2013, HP Pres voted to change its affiliation from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama is a flagship and founding congregation within the Presbyterian Church in America, PCA. Trinity has about 1,300 members.
Protestant liturgy or Evangelical liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Protestant congregation or denomination on a regular basis. The term liturgy comes from Greek and means "public work". Liturgy is especially important in the Historical Protestant churches, both mainline and evangelical, while Baptist, Pentecostal, and nondenominational churches tend to be very flexible and in some cases have no liturgy at all. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help){{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help){{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help){{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help){{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)